


Dr. Heart

by Cawyx



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Flirting, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26480794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cawyx/pseuds/Cawyx
Summary: Your life as a normal med student completely changes when a new teacher comes in and takes a liking to you.
Relationships: Trafalgar D. Water Law & Reader, Trafalgar D. Water Law/Reader
Comments: 31
Kudos: 111





	1. The new teacher.

You shuffled along to your morning class. You walked into the amphitheater and were surprised by the number of students present. Usually, morning classes were empty, but today was like the first day of school. You looked around the room, trying to spot your friends, as usual, they were sitting in the back, you went to them and sat down heavily, sighing.

"Did I miss something? Why everyone is here and so... happy?" You said while looking at a group of girls squealing in the front row. "Do we have a test?!" You added in panic.

Your friend, Chopper, turned around and looked at you horrified by your question.

"Didn’t you hear yesterday?! He is coming to teach us today!"

"What? Who?"

"Trafalgar Law! One of the best cardiothoracic surgeon and he even won the One Piece Award while he was really young! He’s a legend!" He explained, beaming with joy. "I’m so excited, how can you stay so calm?"

He was telling the truth about his excitement; he was swigging his feet and was looking straight ahead as if Trafalgar Law would appear by magic. You rested your head on your hand; it wasn’t the first time that a famous surgeon came to your university and you didn’t understand why Law was an exception. 

At 8 a.m the door swung open as it let appear a tall and slim man. He was wearing a yellow hoodie with the sleeves rolled up, showing tattooed arms. He had dark hair, a scruffy goatee, and dark circles under his eyes.

"What’s up with that guy?" You whispered to Chopper.

"L-L-L-aw! It’s Trafalgar Law!" He squealed loudly, loud enough to make the surgeon glanced in your direction.

You hid a bit in embarrassment while the surgeon smirked as he climbed to the dais. He looked around him and took the microphone. Everyone was holding their breaths–including yourself.

"Hello, everyone. As you already know I’m Traflagar Law, a cardiothoracic surgeon. I’m going to teach everything I know about the heart, but first I want to clarify some things: first of all, I didn’t want to teach a bunch of brats I was forced to, so if you have any problems with my teaching method it’s none of my business. Also, I have no interest in your person, only in your surgical skills and brain, so don’t lose time with small talks. Questions?" He asked.

Everyone was astonished, and no one said a word. You felt the corner of your lips twitching as you desperately tried to repress a laugh.

"I’ll take that as a no, then." He broke the silence. "Let’s get started. The heart is a muscular organ of the human body..."

At noon most of the students - mostly girls- rushed to Trafalgar Law. The desperate looked on his face made you giggle and for the second time today, your eyes met his. You quickly turned your head and joined your friends that had already left the room. You went to the cafeteria and sat next to your group of friends.

"I want to have all my classes to be replaced with Law’s. Not only he is smart and handsome," started your friend Nami, "but have you seen his paycheck? Surgeons like him make so much money!" She continued with beaming eyes.

"His money doesn’t matter, Nami! He is a genius. Did you see what he has done with that heart on the video he showed us? That was amazing! I could watch it all day long." Chopper added.

"Who are they talking about?" Someone whispered in your ear, which made you jump lightly.

"Jeez, Ace!" You scared me. You laughed. "As I thought, you slept in this morning?"

He smiled sheepishly and stroked the back of his neck.

"Yeaah... So who’s the guy?"

"The new teacher, well he is apparently also a well-known cardiothoracic surgeon."

"THE BEST!"Chopper added.

"How was his class?" Ace asked, intrigued.

"It was..." You started, but Chopper cut you off.

"It was amazing! Really, I didn’t see the hours pass. Everyone was hung up on his words, I can’t wait for his next class!"

"Wait... Next class?" You repeated, confused.

"____! You really need to listen in class, you know... He’s going to stay for the semester and we’ll even have some special classes in smaller groups."

"I thought he was some kind of super surgeon? Why is he bothering with classes? Doesn’t he have lives to save?" You asked.

Chopper opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it and he quickly closed it, perplexed.

"I don’t know... Maybe he’s taking a break?" He wondered.

Everyone shrugged it off and started eating.

"So how was he exactly?" Ace whispered.

"Well... His lesson was really detailed, you can see that he knows his stuff but I guess that being a genius has its defaults because he seemed really antisocial... I mean, it’s a shame because he’s smart and good-looking, but you should have seen the way he talked this morning. It was epic, but so cold at the same time. That’s it, he could be perfect if he wasn’t talking," you giggled.

You cut short your laughing since everyone was looking awkwardly at you and you heard someone clearing his throat behind you and felt all your body stiffened.

"I’m glad to hear your thoughts about this morning’s lesson, and I’m sorry being perfect isn’t my main goal at the moment. I look forward to this semester, ____-ya, I think we’re gonna get along just fine." He smirked before taking one of your fries and walking away.

You stayed there dumbstruck as you felt your cheeks burning in embarrassment. The whole cafeteria was starring at you, and your friends were laughing loudly at the scene.

"He hates me... I’m dead... He’s going to make my life’s hell." You complained, horrified.

Ace patted your back to comfort you, which could have been welcomed if he wasn’t still laughing. You gloomily went back to your lunch, without much appetite.

"Do you think I can survive the year if I don’t show up at his classes?" You asked desperately.

"Don’t, I want to witness your execution." Nami commented.

"I hate you."

She sent you a kiss and walked to her next class.

"I’m going to check our new schedule, you’re coming?" You asked Ace.

"Sure, I don’t want to miss it either," he laughed.

"I’ll make sure that you’re all going down with me," you muttered.

"I’m innocent." He replied throwing his arms in the air.

You walked toward the secretariat and looked at the schedule displayed.

"I have two days left... After that, I’ll die."

"Don’t forget my name in your testament." He commented. "But seriously, until then he’ll probably forget about it and look, we’re all in the same group." He tried to comfort you. 

"You’re right... Thanks. Do you want to ditch urology?"

"I thought you would never ask," he smiled.


	2. Lesson learned.

The day you dreaded most had finally come. You sat down at the back of the room, trying to be as invisible as possible, and prayed silently in your mind that the other day was simply an unfortunate accident and that maybe he wasn’t holding a grudge against you. You could hear people whispering and their stares on you. Apparently, you weren’t as invisible as you wished. The whispers intensified. You didn’t have to look up to know that Law just had walked in.

"Good morning, everyone." He greeted coolly. "Today I’m going to teach you how to listen to a heartbeat, so I hope that you all brought your stethoscope. Can someone tell us what are the bases?" He asked.

Chopper excitedly raised his hand as Law nodded.

"First of all, you have to be in a quiet place and sit the patient in an upright or semi-reclined position."

"And why all that?"

"Because the heartbeat sounds are easier to listen to in this position," answered Sabo.

"Good, then Chopper-ya?"

"We put the stethoscope diaphragm over the patient’s chest and listen to the four primary areas..."

"Wrong. What did he miss?"

"You have to take off your patient’s clothes or listen under their shirt." Ace answered. 

"That’s right, otherwise you could make a bad judgment. What are the four areas?"

You weren’t listening anymore and looked at Ace with shock.

"Wait. You studied... No, worse... You participated in class? Are you sick?!" You teased him.

"Laugh while you can, I don’t want to be an ugly duckling like you." He replied with a smile.

"You traitor! Friends are supposed to stick together." You whined.

"I’ll buy you a sandwich as an apology for being smart."

".... All right. For your sake, I hope it’ll be a tasty one." You sulked.

"Promise." He grinned.

"... Now that you know the theory, let’s practice. I need a volunteer." You heard the surgeon say.

Every girl raised their hands as if they were Katniss volunteering as a tribute for the Hunger Games, but the surgeon didn’t seem to notice–or ignored it–and looked around the room and smiled.

"____-ya, if you don’t mind." He called.

You jumped when you heard your name and cursed in your mind. He definitely held a grudge against you. You dragged your feet until his desk and waited for the order.

"Ok, so I’m going to be your patient today, Dr._____." He said with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

He sat down in a chair in front of you and waited.

"Can you straighten your back, sir?" You asked.

"Sorry, who are you?" He replied.

You looked at him confused and he sighed.

"First thing first: ALWAYS introduce yourself to your patient. Even grade-schoolers know that."

You took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Hello, sir. I’m Dr.______ and I’ll be your doctor today. I just need to do a few checks-ups first. Can you straighten your back for me, please?"

"Sure."

In all your hatred you had forgotten that the devil himself was actually good-looking, and you remembered that once you slipped your hand under his shirt as you felt your cheeks burning. You tried to think about something else, being professional, but all you could think about was how well-built he was.

"I haven’t felt your hand moving in a while..."

You snapped out of your thoughts as you heard people snickering.

"Sorry..." You apologized and started moving, but your mind was blank. "I don’t remember the areas... "You admitted.

"Next time instead of chatting during my class, you could listen, so you can avoid a public humiliation..." He said wearily.

He put his hand over yours under his shirt and moved your hands towards the four spots and your face was brighter than ever.

"The left and right of the sternum at the level of the 2nd rib... The left of the sternum at the 4th rib, and on the left nipple line at the level of the 5th rib." He enumerated as your hands passed over the areas and let go of your hand. "Remember that for next time."

\- Yes, Sir... You answered, already walking back to your seat.

You heard some people giggling and others whispering “ _She’s so lucky_ “, you smiled at that one, lucky wasn’t the suitable answer, he hated you and was obviously having fun with you. You flopped down on your chair.

"I’ll buy you a donut too, " Ace whispered.

"Thank you." You replied as low as possible.

You looked at the clock, you still had five minutes of class, you just wanted it to end quickly. When the time was up, you put your things in your bag and took off as fast as possible. You waited for your friends at your usual place in the cafeteria.

"I thought you were going to melt on the spot," Nami snickered as she sat down next to you.

"It was awful," you commented.

"Well, your face was saying otherwise, she suggested. "How is it under his shirt?"

"No comment," you said, "but seriously I don’t want to be his toy for the rest of the semester. I’m going to die of embarrassment, my heart won’t bear it..." You complained.

"Luckily, we have the best cardiothoracic surgeon with us." Ace commented.

You hit the back of his head with your hand.

"That was lame, commented Sabo, "thankfully you want to be a surgeon, not a humorist."

"You’re the one to talk!"

They started arguing about who was making the best jokes.

"... That’s her. I heard that she used to date Law, and she dumped him and he came here to humiliate her."

".... Really? I heard that she was having an affair with him to have good grades." Someone else commented.

You turned around and noticed two girls startled at your sudden movement. They immediately looked away.

"Am I dreaming or were they talking about me?" You asked, shocked.

"I didn’t know you were such a man-eater," Nami guffawed.

"Me neither. How can there be rumors about us when he has only been here for four days?!"

"Handsome doctor, young cute student, and a uni full of med students lacking of social life... I think the answer is pretty clear." Sabo stated with his mouth full.

"Awesome. My life just became a soap opera for med students," you sulked.

"I’m your number one fan!" Nami exclaimed with her thumbs up.

"You’ll see in two or three days they’ll find something to talk about." Chopper reassured you.

"I hope so. Anyway, I have an idea to avoid another humiliation, but it means that I have to study..."

Everyone made a dramatic pause and looked at you, eyes wide-opened. Ace put his hand on your forehead.

"No, she isn’t sick... What should we do guys; I think we lost her?!" He whispered to the other, feigning deep concern about your health.

"Ah. Ah. Ah! I’m not insane, if I know my lessons like the back of my hand, it won’t be able to make fun of me."

"That’s great ____! I’ll help you if you want!" Chopper said happily.

"Thanks! Anyway, I’m going home and start to review with that big, ugly, and expensive book, I’ll text you if I have any questions!"

Chopper nodded, and you stood up, ready to leave.

"I bet $30 that she won’t last three days," Ace started.

"Three days? You’re optimistic, I bet for four hours," Nami joined.

"You’re mean! She’s trying to do a good thing," Chopper whined, "she can at least last a week!"

"You want to bet on it?" Ace smiled.

"Sure!"

"Ahem. You know that I’m still standing right in front of you..."

"____! I’m counting on you, my money is on the line here." Nami commented. "Don’t forget who your real friends are."

"... I’ll see you tomorrow." You sighed.

You started leaving, but before passing the door; you turned around.

"I bet that I’ll last more than a week!" You shouted under the curious stares of the people in the cafeteria.

You went home and slumped on your bed. You looked at the book and sighed in despair. You walked to your chair, sat down, and started reading. Not only you hated reading but half the words made no sense, your brain was already aching and it had only been a couple of minutes.

"Atrioventricular nodal tachycardia, holosystolic murmur..." You tried to memorize the terms but gave up, pushing the book away. "Why does such a little organ can have so many problems?!"

You looked at the clock on your right, 7:30 pm. The time you lasted surprised you. You took your phone and started writing.

_“You owe me 30 bucks. I only accept cash"_

You almost received an immediate reply from Nami.

“Die.”

You chuckled, it felt almost as good as being able to shut Law's mouth. You decided to head out for tonight; it has been a while since you went to your favorite bar, Gran Line. It wasn’t well-known, and that’s why you loved it. The bartender was like an older brother and you could get drunk and whined about your life to your heart’s content. And you really wanted to do that right now.


	3. Everywhere.

You went straight to the counter, to the last free spot, and slumped on the barstool. You raised your hand and waited patiently for the bartender.

"Bad day?" He asked.

"The worst." You answered.

"What can I get you, kid? The usual?"

"Of course! I’ll take a vodka- sprite, thank you."

"On the way, kid." He said.

A few minutes later he came back with your drink, you thanked him and finally looked around you. The bar was almost empty, after all, only a few people knew about it. You felt the person next to you move a bit, and you turned around, worried that you may have disturbed them. Luckily, it seemed that he was a young man. Your day may have been bad, but your evening didn’t have to.

"I’m sorry." You apologized with your best smile.

The man, who had his back at you, turned around and smirked. Your heart skipped a beat and your face slowly crumpled in dissatisfaction.

"Never mind," you said, returning to your drink and ignoring his presence.

"So you had a bad day?" He asked, feigning ignorance.

You glared at him.

"Whose fault is it?" You mumbled.

Apparently, your question was funny, since you heard him laugh lightly. You rolled your eyes in annoyance. You gulped down your drink and raised your hand for another one. He did the same.

"Her drink is on me." He said.

You raised a brow.

"And why would you do that?" You asked, intrigued.

"And why not?" He retorted, peering into your eyes.

"Because I’m your student and you’re my teacher. It doesn’t feel really appropriate."

"We’re also two responsible adults."

"You’re right."

The bartender came back with your drinks. You took yours and got up.

"Thank you for the drink. Have a nice evening, sir." You said derisively as you raised your glass.

You heard him laugh.

"Too bad. You should use that cleverness of yours in class too, _____-ya."

"I will." You answered and turned your back at him.

You didn’t know where to go now that you had left your seat. You gulped down your second drink and left it on a table before leaving the bar unwillingly.

His presence now poisoned your favorite place in the world. It was as if he was everywhere you were. It wouldn’t surprise you to find him in your room. The idea didn’t disgust you as much as you thought, but you wiped it from your mind. You slumped onto our bed and almost immediately fell asleep.

You woke up feeling grumpy and as you arrived in class, Ace was the first one to notice that you weren’t feeling well.

"I knew that studying wasn’t your thing, but your face is screaming murder."

"I wish I could murder someone." You answer flatly.

"What happened?" He asked. "Is it still about our hot new teacher?"

You gave him a death glare.

"So, it is."

"I think he signed with the devil, to make my life’s hell. OR he’s the devil himself. Did you know that he was at my bar? MY bar. I’m homeless now." You whimpered.

"Did you run away from him?"

"No, he offered me a drink; I drank it and left in a hurry."

"So the devil offered you a drink. What a bad person," he mocked you.

"You don’t understand, it’s a lure... But really Ace, he is everywhere!"

As you said that you heard someone talking.

"Good morning, ___-ya, Portgas-ya."

"Good morning, sir!" Ace said happily, trying to hold back a laugh.

"... Hello."

Law smiled and went to his desk.

"See? Everywhere."

"Well, you are his student, so seeing him at school is pretty normal." He answered back.

You were about to answer, but Law started his class.

"So let’s see if you studied last night or if you went drinking on your own instead... I’ll pick someone randomly..." His eyes immediately found you, "Miss___, what can you tell me about an EKG?" He smirked.

You gave Ace the look, saying mentally _“see?”_ , but then you looked straight ahead and gave your best smile to your teacher.

"Electrocardiography is used to record the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time using electrodes placed on the skin..." You smiled. He didn’t see that one coming. ... doctors can use an electrocardiogram to look for patterns among these heartbeats and rhythms to diagnose various heart conditions." You ended your explanation, satisfied.

"Very good." He seemed more amused than shocked by you as if his puppy had finally mastered a new trick. Then let’s proceed to today’s lesson.

"So you really studied," Ace whispered, "I’m impressed and.... a bit concerned."

"I told you so!"

"Yeah... I just thought you wouldn’t be that triggered by him..."

"Don’t be sad, when you have to retake your exam I’ll help you out," you said as you stuck out your tongue.

The morning classes were finally over as you hurried to the cafeteria, the best place in the entire building. Unfortunately, today you were alone, you sat down and took out your phone. You were about to pretend to be busy so that you would not feel too lonely when the whispers in the cafeteria intensified as someone sat next to you. You tensed immediately, smelling trouble. 


	4. Exchange.

"Hey there, ___ -ya." The man greeted you.

"... What are you doing?" You asked, baffled by his attitude.

He slowly unwrapped his lunch.

"Eating. He answered"... or not..." He added with a disgusted face as he put down his sandwich with a sigh.

"What’s wrong with your sandwich? Don’t tell me you don’t like tuna?" You teased.

You saw his body tensed a bit.

"I don’t like... bread..." He mumbled. "I thought it was a taco..."

"Cute," you giggled and immediately noticed that you just had said that aloud. "Well... I mean.... um..."

He smirked, rested his head on his hands, and looked at you.

"Cute, hum?" He hummed. "I can be way more than that..."

You blushed and focus on your salad as you heard him snicker. You could feel everyone's eyes on you, which made you even more self-conscious.

"... Seriously though, why are you sitting here?" You asked.

"I’ll tell you, ___-ya. If you exchange your salad with my sandwich."

You looked at the sandwich, which was way more appetizing than your salad, and nodded - mostly out of hunger than curiosity. He took his sandwich, and grabbed your hand in his and gave you his sandwich, you could feel a strange heat at the back of your hand and couldn’t wait to remove your hand, which you did once you had the sandwich in hand.

"So? Are you going to move now? People are going to start a weird gossip again..." You pleaded.

"I’m here because I find you.... interesting," he said.

"Interesting? Wow... So am I like one of your guinea pigs?" You sighed.

"Well... I wouldn’t mind knowing more about you, ___-ya." He lowered his voice, leering at you.

He suddenly got up, placed himself behind you as you felt his chest against your back and his breath too close to your ear, you stopped breathing as your heart beat faster. He slowly grabbed his salad and whispered “Thank you, ___-ya”. His breath tickling your ear and heating your face.

You watched him leave the room; you put your hand over your ear, trying to slow down your heartbeat and finally figured out something about him: he was totally playing with you and you knew that deep down you enjoyed it.

You tried to calm down and took your new piece of food and started giggling at the bread.

"... I knew studying was bad for your health...," a female voice commented behind you.

"Nami! You scared me..."

She threw a few bills on the table in front of you.

"Here... You better take good care of it," she sadly said.

"How about I pay for your lunch?"

Her eyes lighted up, and she gave you a big hug, pretending to wipe tears from her eyes.

"That’s why you're such a good friend, you’re too good for me... and I want lunch B."

"Isn’t it the most expensive?"

"Is it?" She asked, blinking her eyes innocently with a “surprised” expression.

You sighed and gave her back her bills. She went to get her lunch, soon she was back to your side.

"By the way... Why were you flirting in the middle of the cafeteria with the new teacher?"

You chocked on your food.

"THAT WASN’T FLIRTI-," you squealed then stopped and cleared your throat, "we weren’t flirting, we just exchanged lunch..."

"Sureee... That’s what kids call it these days? First thing lunch, then they exchange saliva, then..."

"NAMI!" You lightly punched your friend on her shoulder. It’s really not like that, he just doesn’t like b-"

You suddenly fell silent and bit your lips. Strangely, you did not want to share this side of him, which made you frown. Nami raised her eyebrow. 

"He what?"

"H-he didn’t like his lunch today..." You stuttered, biting your lips.

"... Sure. Well, since you bought my lunch, I won’t dig too deep into this..." She smiled. "We’re going to the park after you’re coming?" She asked.

"Of course! We’re making plans for the party, right? You asked back, relieved that she had changed the subject.

She grinned and nodded. Classes were as slow as usual. You could not wait to meet your friends and hurriedly left your last class the second the teacher dismissed you. You skipped happily until the park and sat down, enjoying the sun for the first time of the day. Soon enough you were joined by your friends’ laughs and loud talks. You greeted them as they sat down in a circle.

"I hope your liver is ready for this weekend." Nami happily mentioned.

"It’s always ready," Ace responded, smiling knowingly at Sabo.

"I still don’t understand how you two can drink so much without getting wasted," Chopper sighed.

"They started at a young age," you laughed.

"It was only a cup of sake... and we were young..." Ace grumbled.

"Let her be, she’s just jealous of our fraternal bound ~" Sabo mocked putting an arm around Ace’s shoulder.

"Right... You got me there, I’m still not over the fact that you did not invite me." You said feigning being sad. "Fortunately, for us, the liver is the only organ that can regenerate." You added.

"Look at this little smartass shoving her new gained intelligence in our faces," Nami laughed, "soon we’ll have to call you Chopper."

The latter protested, and Nami ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Since Ace and I have the biggest apartment we thought the before could be at our place. Everyone brings a drink and some snacks, and then we’ll head to the club?" Sabo said, focusing on the main subject.

Everyone nodded, you did not have any other options, anyway. You were the only other one with an apartment, as the other lived in dorms, but yours was way too small. The sun was now low in the sky and you felt chilly. You looked at Ace and beamed; he rolled his eyes and stretched out his arms as you rushed to sit comfortably between his legs, leaning your back against his chest; he closed his arms around you, out of habits.

"Much better," you hummed happily. "You should offer your services as a personal heater. I don’t understand how you and Sabo are never cold, you’re so lucky." You whined.

Nami’s eyes sparkled.

"I can help you with that, with your looks and the lonely life of the med students, we can be rich in the blink of an eye," she exclaimed.

"We? "Ace asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Duh! Of course, I’ll take a percentage."

"Obviously..." Sabo said a bit scared, not knowing if she was actually serious.

They started debating on the idea as you check your phone. 7. 30 p.m. You sighed heavily.

"Are you ok? Ace asked worriedly.

"I need to go home... To reread today’s classes and stuff I don’t wanna do..." You grumbled.

"You can stay a bit longer, it won’t kill you."

"Are you kidding? Have you seen how this guy is in class, I’m totally his target."

"Well... I can’t totally deny that..."

"Oh, you’re totally his target," Nami cooed full of innuendos.

You felt Ace stiffened behind you as you scolded her.

"Nami, I was only helping out a teacher just like you did with Mr. Harrington."

"Ew. Mr. Harrington is sixty years old, and he promised me a good grade if I helped him." She replied, disgusted.

"Well, it's the same. Except that, I exchanged my lunch and gained a sandwich instead of a good grade, which is almost as good!"

"Still, you should be careful, there’s a lot of gossiping about you two..." Ace said in a low voice.

"I know that already, but really I’d have told you if there was something else, which is not the case and won’t ever be the case." You closed the discussion as you got up, wiping the grass out of your jean.

"I’ll go with you ___, I need to revise too." Chopper said, following you.

"Well... On that note, us, smartasses, are leaving." You told them and left with Chopper.


	5. Get ready.

f there was a thing that a bunch of people cruelly lacking social life like most students were good at was: organizing the best party of the year. Med’s parties were the greatest: depraved and alcoholic. It was on everyone’s minds the whole week. Nothing else mattered. 

"So I was thinking about a sexy nurse outfit? Oh! And I’ll wear a belt with a bunch of syringes filled with alcohol!" Nami explained.

You were at your usual spot at the cafeteria, waiting patiently until the end of the day where the best night of the semester was about to happen. 

"I love the syringes thing!" You exclaimed. "I also bought some glow sticks and if Ace hasn’t forgotten he should have some glow paint."

The said person raised his head away from his food and smiled sheepishly. 

"... I forgot... But I can buy some on my way home."

"You better not forget, Nami warned him. By the way, at what time are we supposed to come?"

"Around 9 p.m, sounds fine." Sabo said, looking at Ace for approbation.

Ace nodded and went back to his food. 

"____, I’m still coming to your place before? I miss your bathroom and the privacy that comes with it."

You giggled. Nami never hid her hatred for dorms. 

"Sure, you can head there after classes.

"I can’t wait. I’m so excited. Last year I managed to enter without paying and all my drinks were paid by someone else. This time I’m aiming for the VIP room." She excitedly said.

You took another bite of your salad, this time no one was there to exchange it with a delicious tuna sandwich. You had not seen Law outside classes for the rest of the week and even in class he was not as mean to you as he used to. Maybe the saying “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” was true after all? 

"He’s so hot! I mean, if he was still working, I’d totally pretend to be sick just to be able to have a “private” consultation with him, if you know what I mean..." A girl behind you laughed.

"I totally get it! And this mysterious aura around him? It’s just Rrrr."

"I know, right?"

You looked at your friends, seemed like you were not the only one focusing on the conversation happening behind you

"And have you heard? Apparently, he is some kind of orphan. That’s just so sad. I can totally picture myself licking his wounds... well, not only his wounds!" She giggled with her friends.

You frowned, that was really a heartless thing to say right after saying something like that. 

"And no family means no awkward in-laws meeting! He’s really perfect!" The other one added.

"Are you serious?! What is wrong with you?!" You snapped before realizing.

All eyes were on you and the cafeteria went silent. 

"What is wrong with you?" One girl asked back. "I’m having a private conversation with my friend, it’s none of your business."

"No, you’re gossiping about someone’s life and totally taking it lightly. Did you realize how awful you sounded right now? Before thinking about meeting someone's family or not, you should go back to yours, seems like you’re badly missing some good education." You told her off.

You saw her cheeks reddened as she got up, followed by her friends. 

"You’re crazy." She blurted out before leaving.

You sat down under your friends’ stares. 

"What? She was totally crossing the line." You defended yourself.

"That was incredible!" Chopper exclaimed.

"He’s right, I was going to say something too, but you were too fast." Nami added.

"Who knew you had this fire in you," Sabo said.

"We’re totally taking shots for ___’s chivalry!" Ace announced.

"You would have found something else to cheer on for tonight anyway, right?" You laughed.

"You know us too well."

Luckily for you, your classes ended early today, so you had the afternoon to get ready with Nami. You went to her place first to get her stuff and then you went to your apartment. 

"Nami... I have nothing to wear," you sighed, flopping on your bed after checking your closet three times.

"Luckily for you, I knew you were going to say that." She smiled.

She plunged her hand into her bag and pulled out her nurse outfit. 

"Tadaaa!"

"But that’s yours," you said, confused.

"Now it’s yours, I have something else."

"You’re sure?"

She threw the costume at you. 

"Change!" She ordered.

You obeyed and undressed to put on the nurse outfit. 

"Nami, that’s a stripper outfit! You exclaimed, pulling the hem of the dress. "That’s too short!"

"No, ____. That’s a sexy nurse outfit," she beamed.

You rolled your eyes and looked at her. She was wearing a blue bikini top with a mini-skirt under a white coat. 

"And I guess you’re the sexy doctor?" You chuckled.

"Exactly!" She winked at you.

You did your hair and makeup and got ready to go to the boys’ place. 

"Go ahead, I just need to buy alcohol at the convenience store." You said once you reached their neighborhood.

She nodded and continued while you entered the shop. You went straight to the liquor aisle, someone was already there, but you did not pay much attention you just wanted to get to the party as quickly as possible especially in that outfit. 

"I’ll recommend the Ardbeg Uigeadail," the man said.

You jumped, startled, once because you did not expect someone to talk to you and two because you knew that voice too well. You looked at the bottle and squinted at the price: $70. 

"You know that we’re not all famous surgeons with millions in our pockets. More like broke students with a lot of student loans." You commented grabbing the two cheapest bottles of vodka.

"Those things taste the same as Purell," he said with disgusted.

"I know." You said as you took some juices. "That’s why we try to cover the taste."

He shook his head and sighed. He followed you to the cashier’s desk with his bottle of whiskey. 

"I can totally picture you drinking your whiskey alone, with two ice cubes, wearing a bathrobe near a fireplace."

He smirked, paid for his bottle, and leaned to your ear. 

"Who said I was drinking alone?" He whispered as his smile intensified. "By the way, nice outfit." He said before heading outside. 

You watched him disappear and rolled your eyes, denying the fact that your heart was beating loudly in your chest. 

"That will be $21,28." The weary cashier announced. 

You gave him the change and hurried to the party. 


	6. Too many drinks.

You rang the intercom and waited for someone to open the door. Once you heard the buzzer you made your way to the elevator and pushed the 6th button. You walked into their apartment; the music was already loud. You just stepped out of the entrance when someone put you in a tight and strong embrace. You looked down at the person and smiled widely. 

"LUFFY! I didn’t know you were here too!" You exclaimed, happy to see this little idiot.

"____!" He grinned before goggling at your plastic bag. "Can you give me the chips?"

You sighed, no wonder he was being overly affectionate. You gave him the food and put the drinks on the table. You waved hello at everyone; you knew all of them -more or less. You sat on the couch between Ace and that guy named Zoro. 

"You’re finally here!" Ace uttered.

"Yes, sorry, I met... an acquaintance on the way," you said, not wanting to bring up “Law subject” for tonight.

"Really? You could have invited him."

"Oh, no, it’s fine... He already had plans..." You informed him. "When did Luffy arrive, by the way?" You quickly changed the subject. 

"A few hours ago, Zoro brought him here." He said pointing at the man sitting next to you.

"It must have been awful," you laughed, thinking about how Luffy could be really... noisy sometimes.

"It was ok, but now I have booze so it’s all good," he snickered.

"I like this guy!" You exclaimed.

Joining him, you poured yourself a glass of your cheap vodka with the first juice you found on the table and cheered with him. You kept on drinking and moving from people to people, slowly getting intoxicated by the alcohol. Nami suddenly came to you and hugged you. 

"I love you so muuuch. Here."

She gave you some glow sticks. You put some as bracelets and others as a necklace. And you painted some lines and dots on your face and other people's bodies. You went to Ace; he was only wearing a short and some sort of cowboy hat. He also looked like some kind of stripper. You scanned the room and shrugged. Everyone was more or less the same. 

"Do you want some?" You said showing him the paint in your hands.

"Sure, let your imagination go wild." He smiled, opening his arms wide.

You smirked and put some small dots on his freckles so that even in the dark he would look adorable, then you proceeded to contour his abs with the pain. Adorably sexy. 

"Now all of your charms are underlined," you happily concluded.

He grinned and put his arm around your shoulders. 

"Now, that no one can resist me, let’s get some shots and leave this place." He declared, leading you to the table.

"You’re awfully cocky when you’re drunk," you giggled.

He flashed you a smile and gave you one little glass filled with alcohol; you cheered and drank it down, grimacing and frowning due to the taste. You both laughed and yelled for a general shot with everyone. Once, they were all gathered around you; you gave them each a glass: Nami, Ace, Sabo, Luffy, Zoro, Chopper, Sanji, Robin, Marco, Koala, Franky, Usopp, and Brook. You all cheered happily and gulped it down. You got ready and left their apartment to the nightclub. You were feeling a bit fuzzy and joyful and the next thing you knew you were dancing on the dance floor with some of your friends, surrounded by blurred faces. You spotted Ace and all the boys sitting at a table drinking and laughing, so you joined them. They scooted over to give you a place to sit. You did not remember what you were talking about, just that you were having fun and that keeping on drinking with those heavy drinkers was a terrible idea. You interlocked your arm with Ace’s who was sitting next to you. 

"I wanna daaance, come on!" You whined. "You guys are really boring ~"

You pulled him by the arm and led him to the dance floor and started dancing. “Dancing” was a big word. You were making some weird gestures, with no sense of rhythms, but you were really enjoying yourself right now. You smiled at how ridiculous you looked, you took his hat and put it on. 

"It looks better on me, but not too bad on you," he said putting his thumbs in the air.

"Wow... You really know how to talk to a woman," you chuckled, "there’s still a lot of progress to do."

You leaned on him and put his hat back where it belonged and kept your arms around his neck, continuing on your silly dance moves. While you were dancing, your faces grew closer and closer and before long his hands cupped your cheeks as he planted a kiss on your lips. Still feeling cheerful and probably because of the amount of alcohol in your system, you kissed him back and pulled away, laughing. You do not remember much after that, only that you kept on dancing with everyone.

You woke up in familiar place. Except it was not your room. You could feel someone’s warmth on your back, you did not have to look behind you to know that it was Ace. He gently wrapped his arm around your waist, but that was not the most uncomfortable thing right now. Luffy was sleeping soundly, one of his feet close to your face, the other near Ace. You sighed and tried to get up without waking them up. You slowly put Ace’s arm away and pushed Luffy out of the way. They always have been heavy sleepers, so you did not have to be too cautious. You went to the bathroom. On the way you noticed that almost everyone was there, scattered in every room. Even in the bathroom, Marco was sleeping in the bath. 

You held back a chuckle. You froze when you saw your face in the mirror. You did not look like a sexy nurse anymore, more like the Halloween version of it. Your makeup had smeared and your hair looked like a nest. You tried to freshen yourself up the best that you could. Once you were satisfied, you went back to Ace’s room and grabbed a sweatpant that you put on. You did not want to attract too much attention on your way home. You wrote a small note and were about to leave when you heard footsteps behind you. 

"You’re leaving already?" A sleepy voice asked you.

Ace was leaning on the wall, scratching his stomach, struggling to keep his eyes open. 

"Oh sorry, did I wake you up?" You asked worriedly.

"No, it was Luffy he punched me in his sleep that brat," he grumbled, "and then I saw your note."

"Yup, I need a bath right now, and a huge amount of medicines to forget about my headache and I’ll probably spend my day between my bed and my toilet." You laughed.

"I know what you mean..." He said rubbing his eyes.

"I’ll give your sweatpant back tomorrow, I promise." You added opening the door.

"Wait!"

He moved closer to you, seemingly anxious. You looked at him quizzically. 

"Do you remember what happened last night? He asked in a low voice.

"Most of it, it was fun." You smiled.

"... Yeah, it was... but I mean about the... kiss..."

"Oh, that? Yes, sorry... I was really drunk and it kind of happened? But don’t worry, I think nothing of it, it’s fine," you reassured him.

"Nothing of it? Really... " He said sounding a bit angry, without looking at you in the eyes.

You started to feel a bit awkward. The atmosphere had suddenly changed. 

"I... It’s the same for you, right?" You were completely lost.

"Do you really think so, ____?" He straightforwardly said, looking at you in the eyes this time.

"Ace, I..." The words did not come, so you closed your mouth trying to find something, but your headache was not helping at all.

"It’s fine, ___." He sighed. "Let’s talk about it later."

He closed the door behind you and left you in the hallway, staring at the door, suddenly regretting your night out. 


	7. Let's talk.

You did not remember the way back to your place. You were over-thinking all the way back. You really messed up, and you felt terrible. You were fixing the ceiling, laying down on your bed after taking a more than welcomed shower. You tried to fall back asleep but could not. You were thinking about Ace. You had always been touchy-feely with him, with the three of them, but more especially with him since you were close. But that all there was to it for you was an unbreakable friendship, almost like a brother where you could joke about anything and everything. Maybe you were the only one thinking that way? You sighed, suddenly exhausted. You opened one of your books to change your mind, but it only opened a new drawer in your mind. That damn teacher. Was he really going to meet with someone last night? And why should you care? Did he live in the neighborhood? Maybe that’s why he’s hanging out your bar? Is he really rich like Nami suggested, or was he just showing off? You sighed heavily, shook your head, and try to focus. If you finish that lesson you would reward yourself with an episode of your favorite show, so you try to hang on this thought. It worked for a while, but your lack of sleep and the over-thinking made you tired earlier than usual. You closed the book, stretched, and went to bed. 

You woke up with a start and look at the clock: 1 p.m., you glanced at your phone. 

**“ _I’m home, you should stop by. I need to talk to you._ “ - Ace.**

You hurriedly put something on, throw his sweatpant in a bag, and went straight to his place. You hesitantly knocked on the door. A few seconds later, Ace opened. You smiled awkwardly; he did the same. 

"I brought this back, just as promised!" You happily stated, trying to sound natural.

"Thanks."

He took the bag from your hands and put it away. You followed him into the living room, and stood there, shifting from one foot to another. 

"So...Where’s Luffy?" You asked.

"I asked Sabo to take him out for the afternoon." He answered.

The ambiance was becoming even more awkward. You sat down on the chair in front of the couch where he was sitting. You both stayed silent for a while which pained you, it has always been just so natural with him; you had never been in this situation. 

"I’m sorry..." You finally apologized.

He sighed and passed a hand through his hair. 

"No, you shouldn’t apologize for something that should be trivial... He started.

"Should be... That’s the issue there Ace...

"Yeah...

"I swear if I had known that the kiss would have caused you pain or anything I would have never done it...It wasn’t my attention at all... I just really thought we were on the same page... but were not and I’m so so so sorry for acting without taking your feelings into consideration... I just... I didn’t know about your feeling..."

"I know it wasn’t your attention... But you really didn’t know? Didn’t even have a single clue? I mean ____ with just a single glance I know if you’re happy, sad, sick... We’ve known each other for so long that you just know that stuff... I thought you knew that I love you and just pretend otherwise."

You gulped hard. 

"I-I’m sorry, I truly didn’t know... I just thought it was our way of acting toward each other...You have always been like a brother to me... You should have told me..."

"And you’d kiss your brother?" He asked bitterly.

"No! I made a mistake and I’m sorry, really, but I’m not the only one to blame here Ace. I can’t read minds and you know that..." You argued.

"I know! He raised his voice. I know, it’s not just you, and it’s mainly me... I’m... Sorry, I thought I could talk, but I just need time to recollect my thoughts." Let’s just forget it ever happened. I’ll talk to you later..." He said and locked himself in his room.

You reluctantly left his place, feeling even worse than before. You went to the park hoping to spot your friends and luckily they were there as expected. You sat down next to them. 

"Hey, what’s up?"

"Enjoying the sun after a hard weekend and already crying to the thought that tomorrow we have school...How did it go with Ace?" Nami asked nonchalantly.

You glared at Sabo as he gave you a small smile. Really, you knew too much about each other in this friendship. 

"She threatened me," he said, putting his arms in the air.

You rolled your eyes and sighed.

"It went... not good."

"That was to be expected, Ace has a crush on you for like forever." Nami said.

"You knew?" You said, puzzled.

Everyone went silent. 

"You didn’t?" Sabo asked tentatively.

"Of course not!" You answered, offended, why everyone thought you were faking. 

"Come on! This guy turned all sweet and mushy every time you were near him, and we’re talking about Ace. He still has trouble talking to a girl without stuttering once or twice."

"But he had always been like this with me, I thought it was normal!" You turned toward Sabo for help.

"Well... It’s true that he always treated you differently and that he’s hard to understand... but I thought you knew too..."

"Great. I didn’t know, and if I had known why would I be cruel to him?" You sighed angrily.

Everyone went silent again. You could hear Luffy and his friends playing and laughing a bit further away from your group. 

"You’re right, it was just a stupid drunken mistake, and it only concerns you and Ace anyway, Nami stated. Next topic of the day. Sabo, when were you going to tell us about you and Koala?" She smirked.

The boy seemed startled but tried to act natural. 

"We’re friends? Why?"

Nami raised her eyebrow and looked at you, you laughed.

"We were just wondering how your friend ended up in your bed the other day..." You continued on Nami’s track.

He suddenly turned into a blushing mess, which made you and Nami chuckled. 

"So pure~ She purred. "Too bad I took a picture in case you’d denied it. "

"You what?!" He gasped. 

You kept on teasing him and talking about everything except Ace until it was time to part away. You did not sleep much that night, that is why when your alarm-clock rang you just stayed in bed and slept more. You did not want to go to class, or see Ace, and especially not Law. You would not be able to endure his teasing or bullying whatever his thing was. You woke up again at 1:30 pm and went to your favorite place in the world, where you could vent without being judged: Gran Line, here you go! 


	8. Open up.

You pushed the door and strutted into the bar, smiling broadly. You looked straight at your place in front of the counter and your smile dropped. You spotted a familiar figure, one you wished was not there. You thought about turning back and pretend you never came here, but your triumphant entrance put all the eyes on you. Law looked back at you, a half-smile drawing on his lips as he slowly waved at you. You sighed and slouched on the stool next to him, mumbling a “stalker” as a greeting, which only intensified his smile.

"If I remember correctly, you’re supposed to be in class right now..." He started.

"And if I remember correctly, it’s supposed to be your class..." You said back.

"I won’t tell if you do the same." He said as he raised his hand gesturing another drink. "For her too."

"Are you bribing me with alcohol?" You asked, trying not to laugh.

"Maybe..."

"Well, it’s working."

You lifted your drinks and clinked them together before taking a sip. You were drinking in an awkward silence.

"So why did you come in the middle of the day to drink in a bar... alone?" He asked.

You looked down and bit your lips. You came here to vent and forgot about your problems, one of them involving him... But now, you could not do that anymore, right? You glanced at him; he was patiently waiting for your answer. You weighted to pros and the cons of telling him the truth. After he was supposed to be an adult, have more life experiences, and maybe give you some advice, but he was still your teacher and had not given you the “trusting friendly” vibe. You sighed and gulped down your drink.

"Oh, to hell with it." You cursed.

You started rattling on all the stuff that happened that night and all the problems you caused. Strangely, he did not cut you off and laughed at what he could have seen as childish. He was carefully listening to you, nodding from time to time.

"... So yeah... basically that’s it. You ended your monologue, suddenly feeling exposed. 

"No offense, but your life looks like a bad Spanish soap opera."

"It does, doesn’t it? You sighed. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Someone once told me: “Da Tiempo al Tiempo”."

You raised an eyebrow, your Spanish being... nonexistent.

"It means give it time. Sometimes it’s best to wait rather than rushing headfirst and worsen the situation."

"He seems like a wise person. Who is it?"

"His name was Corazon. He probably found this in Don Quijote. He loved that book. He smiled sadly.

You wanted to ask more about this person, but judging by his face, it was better not to pray too much into it. You cleared your throat.

"So... I told you about my night. How was yours?"

"It was... fine."

"Did you drink that bottle all by yourself?" You teased him.

He looked at you and smiled.

"I reckon I told you I wasn’t alone that night."

Your heart skipped a beat as you felt a burning sensation in your chest.

"Right." You unconsciously replied harshly.

"Are you curious about what happened that night?" He asked in a low voice.

"Not especially." You lied. "But I told you about mine... So it would only be fair if you did the same..."

He snorted.

"Sure."

He took his sweater and started walking toward the exit. Before leaving, he turned around.

"So are you coming or not?"

"... Where to?" You asked, confused.

"To meet the person you’re curious about." He said naturally as he left the bar with you running after him.


	9. Practice.

He stopped near a yellow vehicle and got into it, leaving you awkwardly looking at it on the sidewalk. The sight of the yellow car made you chuckle. You expected him to drive some sort of cool car or at least a motorbike, but no, he was driving the most normal and bright car in the world. You opened the door and stepped in. The car was clean, comfy, and even had a car air freshener hanging on the rear-view mirror, other than that the car was empty. The only clue telling you that it was definitely his car was the small bottle of hand sanitizer. You were certain that you could find a first aid kit in the glove compartment, but you restrained your curiosity. 

"Seat belt."

His voice got you out of your thoughts, and you immediately put the seat belt on. He started the engine and drove away. The farther away you drove, the more anxious you became. What a stupid idea. You were truly an idiot. Was he going to introduce you to his girlfriend? His wife? After all, you never asked him if was single or married, since it doesn’t come naturally in a conversation between a teacher and a student. Well, your relationship was not a normal one, but still. And were you going to say? _“Oh hi, I’m ____, Law’s student.”_ The word “student” left a bitter taste in your mouth. You could already imagine the look in her eyes. The same look you have when you look at a cute little kid and not a rival. A rival? Why would you be one? What if it was a guy? After all, that was also a possibility. You glanced at him and you blinked a few times, you were losing your mind. You tried to calm down with no success. Your mind was too busy freaking out in harmony with your heartbeat. You tried to focus on the road, so you missed the glint of amusement in his eyes. You recognized the neighborhood. No wonder you met him in that convenience store and why he kept on popping at the bar. He was probably living between yours and Ace’s place. Your face suddenly crumpled at the thought of Ace. The car slowed down near an apartment complex that you recognized immediately. It was an inside joke between you and Nami, about who will be the first one to go inside. You called it “The Mansion”, even though it was not one, but it was definitely a place for rich people. Your total opposite, you felt even more nervous than before. He stopped the car and got out. You tried to follow him quickly, but in your precipitation, you caught your foot in the seat belt and fell headfirst on the sidewalk. Thankfully, the only thing that was damaged was your pride. He hurried to your side and offered his hand, you took it without a glance at him, feeling to shameful. 

" You’re ok?" He asked. He sounded worried, but you could still hear that he was repressing a laugh.

"I’m good, I’ve never felt better in my life." You said curtly.

"That’s good to hear. Come on."

He greeted the concierge with a nod and went straight to the elevator; you were walking behind him, trying to be as small as possible. He pushed the button number fifteen as you both waited silently to reach his floor. You jumped a little when you heard the little “ting” announcing that you had arrived. He smiled wryly at your attitude. He led you to his door. 

"Now close your eyes." He said.

"Excuse me?" You asked, confused.

"It is more fun this way. " He simply answered, his eyes telling that he was dead set on it.

You rolled your eyes. The whole situation was already humiliating as it was. No need to add anything. But you obeyed. You heard the lock, and the door opened; he put his hand on your back and gently pushed you inside. 

" Don’t move ," he whispered in your ear, which made you shiver. " BEPO!" He yelled. " I’m home."

Your smiled faltered. Bepo? That is a man’s name, right? Your heart skipped a beat as you questioned the last few weeks you spent together. Were you really over-interpreting everything? You thought that he liked you at least a little and that maybe you were starting to feel the same, just maybe. But if he was in a relationship, with a man above all, that means that you were totally out of your mind. 

"Bepo, say hi to our guess."

You were about to open your eyes and greet the mysterious man. When something wet touched your mouth. You stepped back surprised and opened your eyes. You ended face to face with a white and fluffy dog that was happily swigging its tail in his owner’s arms. 

"Bepo is... a dog?" You asked. 

You heard him snort as he let go of his dog, which immediately jumped on your legs. You stroked his head, still not over the emotional roller-coaster. 

"What do you think it was?" He asked back, smiling slyly.

" I don’t know why I expected a human, you’re not really the social type, I should’ve known."

He rolled his eyes and invited you in. You carefully followed him, trying to assimilate the fact you were now alone in your teacher’s apartment. His place was as you expected huge but simple, they were only a few items of furniture, a lot of books, and zero decorations.

"I have something for you." He said as you sat down on a chair he had shown you. He disappeared into the kitchen and came back, offering you a banana.

"Hmm...Thanks. But I’m not hungry."

"That’s good since you’re not going to eat it."

You looked at. him quizzically. He sighed and sat next to you.

" You’re going to dissect it. Carefully." He put a kit in front of you which contained different scalpels.

" Why?" You asked, perplexed.

" Because it keeps your mind off useless things. And you looked like you needed it."

"You must be fun at parties," you joked. "But... thanks."

He rolled his eyes again, smiling softly.

" Anyway, you need to peel this banana, without touching the fruit or the inner skin. Only the yellow and hard outer skin. Get it?"

You nodded and reached for the kit at the same time as him. Your hand ended up on top of his.

" Oh, and trying to seduce the teacher won’t help you."

A blush crept on your face. As much as you wanted to remove your hand as fast as possible, you took his hand instead and slowly pushed it away before grabbing the kit.

" Too bad." You breathed.

You pretended to focus on the banana, while you were mentally cursing yourself. He had this weird effect on you, turning you into someone with far too much confidence. You could feel his gaze on you and you try to forget about the burning sensation slowly starting in your stomach.

The fun and teasing part did not last long. The moment you touched the banana, his personality completely changed.

" No, not like that, you killed the patient!" He growled. " Start over."

" Patient?! It’s a freaking banana!" You hissed.

" Start _O-V-E-R_ ."

You did not know how long it last; him turning into a bossy teacher and you trying not to cry over not managing to peel off a banana. You were sure that you would not be able to eat a banana ever again.

" No, you’re doing it wrong... again." He sighed.

" I get it, I suck, I can’t do it! So please, just stop criticizing me." You pleaded.

He rubbed the back of his neck and got up. He positioned himself behind you and put his hands over yours.

" Sorry. Let’s try again one last time, ok?"

You nodded, unable to speak, unconsciously holding your breath, unsettled by his proximity. He guided you and explained to you how it should be done.

" ... and then you put only a small pressure..."

The skin easily opened under your lancet without cutting too deep.

" See? Now do it."

He calmly let go of your hands but stayed behind you. You focused all your attention on the banana, which was harder than it seemed. His breath kept brushing on your neck, tickling it, and his chest was slightly touching your back. You breathed out slowly and replicated what he just had told you. The scalpel glided easily over the skin without cutting too deep. It took you a minute to notice you had finally succeeded.

"I did it..." You slowly stated before screaming. "I did it! It’s alive!"

You turned on your chair to face Law, who was showing a faint smile, and without thinking you hugged him. 


	10. Snooping and chill.

You stiffened as you felt his body doing the same. You were so used of being this way around your friends and you were at ease around him, that you had totally forgotten about your situation. As you slowly pulled back his hands found your shoulders and he gently ran them down your arms, leaving a warm trail.

"Congratulations." He whispered.

You did not know how long you stayed in this position, your arms wrapped around his waist and his thumbs drawing slow circles on your elbows. Your eyes were locked, and you had forgotten how to breathe. His eyes gradually move to your mouth, you bit your lips as you both started to close the distance between you. You closed your eyes once your mouths were merely inches apart. You tried to steady your heart and suddenly the impact happened.

Not the one you were hoping for.

Bepo was jumping on your legs, trying to grab your attention. You both hurriedly stepped back. You crouched down to pet the dog, trying to hide your embarrassment and disappointment. You heard Law clear his throat and uttered something. He left to the kitchen and Bepo followed him happily. You inhaled deeply and exhaled. Law did not come back right away. Maybe he was feeling as awkward as you were, or he was trying to find a way to gently kick you out. You arose from your crouching position and began to look around. You were standing next to the table where you had dissected a banana, next to it was a leather couch in front of a big television and behind it the biggest bookcase you had ever seen in someone's home. You ran your eyes over all the shelves. There were mainly books about medicine and some Spanish books. Now that you thought about it, he did mention that he knew someone who was a fan of Cervantes's work. You gently ran your hands over them as you made your way towards a slightly ajar door. You looked back, you could still hear law in the kitchen, and you slowly pushed the door open and peeked inside. A large deck was near the entrance, crammed with paperwork and books. Another bookshelf was just above it. Across from it, in front of a big window, was a king-size bed with white sheets and black pillows. You glanced back and steeped in.

You did not like when people were snooping around, and you were usually not the kind to do so, but you were too intrigued by Law that curiosity took over your common sense. As you looked out the window, you thought the view must be stunning at night when all the buildings are illuminated.

"Curiosity kills the cat, you know."

His voice startled you, you unconsciously sat down on his bed. He was leaning against the door frame with his usual smirk.

"I'm sorry I don't know why I enter without permission." You apologized.

"It's fine. I make sure to stop you before you could find anything... compromising."

You did not know if he was joking or not since he had stopped smiling.

"So how was it?" He asked.

"Looking around? Well, you don't have much furniture and a bit of color would not hurt. Like your car. I mean yellow? Did not see this one coming. And you have way too many books, workbooks, boring books. Do you have Netflix? You should try it, it's good..." You started to ramble before he cut you off.

"... I meant the banana thing... Not your investigation."

"Oh..."

Your face turned different shades of red as he was trying to repress a laugh.

"It was great. You're not as bad as I thought as a teacher. Maybe you can distract me with something else next time?"

He looked at you and did not respond. He seemed as if he was weighing invisible options in his mind. He let out a small chuckle.

"Maybe next time." His voice suggested more than what he was saying, but you tried to push that thought away.

You stayed silence, trying to not squirm under his stare. You opened your mouth to break the silence, but the only sound that came up was the horrible plea from your stomach. You looked back at him, embarrassed.

"That was quite loud, ____-ya." He teased you with his usual mocking smile.

"I skipped lunch and got dragged into a stranger's house to save a banana... So I did not have time to eat." You murmured. "I should go home."

Even though you said you should leave, you did not move. Neither did Law, still leaning on the door frame.

"Hmm. Well, thank you for everything." You muttered and passed by him.   
"I was about to order Chinese food. I wouldn't mind the company."

Your body immediately relaxed as you mentally sighed of relief. Which ultimately concerned you.

"If you're paying, I guess I could stay a bit longer."

You made yourself comfortable on his couch and played with Bepo while Law was ordering your food. Now that you were back in the living room, you could not stop thinking about what would have happened if Bepo had not disturbed you. Your heartbeat quickened and could feel the heat rising in your cheeks. Law hung up the phone and plopped down next to you, resting his arm lazily on the backrest behind you. You racked your brain trying to find something to talk about, which was less easy now that you were conscious of him.

"So, do you like teaching?" You blurted out.

"Not really, no." He simply answered, reverting to the silence.

Awkward.

"Thought so." You punctuated with a nervous laugh. "But for what it's worth, I think you're a good teacher."

He snickered.

"You should not lie to your senior, ______-ya."   
"I was not lying!" You huffed. "You're a good teacher when you're not bullying or flirting with your students."

He raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Hmm. Flirting? I don't remember doing it." He innocently stated.

Now you were even more embarrassed than when your stomach rumbled.

"So, you agree with the bullying part, though. I wonder why you became a teacher in the first place," You laughed it off, not wanting to stay on the subject.

He became quiet. His eyes darkening. The view made you shiver.

"I rather not talk about it." He said curtly. You swallowed slowly and nodded. Thankfully, the universe must have finally taken pity on you because at the same instant the door rang. You stood up and brought back the food, putting everything in front of you on the coffee table. The smell made you drool.

"Contrary to your thoughts, I do have Netflix. Wanna watch something?"


	11. Forgiveness.

To your surprise, the night had been great and not as awkward as you thought it could have turned out. After the movie, you went back home and tried to fall asleep, but you were too excited to close your eyes. Images kept showing up in your mind. His lips getting closer and closer to yours. You squeezed your pillow and rolled around in your bed, groaning excitedly.

The next week, you spent most of your free time at his place. He had offered to help you study, and you had accepted the invitation. After all, what could be better than a renowned surgeon to help you. Sometimes you were studying on your own, asking him questions when you could not understand something, other times he would propose an activity like the banana to test your skills, and every time you stayed for dinner. On the third day, you discovered that he was surprisingly an excellent cook. The smell coming from the kitchen made you drool and kept glancing in his direction, making it impossible to remember what you were trying to learn. He came back later in the living room with two plates in his hand. When you asked about what it was, he answered that it was a German dish that his parents used to make when he was younger. You noticed how nostalgic he looked at this moment, but did not point it out.

On Monday morning, you sat down in the cafeteria waiting for your friends. You came back home late last night, and you were more tired than usual. You let a yawn escaped your lips as you lazily covered your mouth with your hand. You heard someone sitting next to you.

“Oh. Someone did not sleep much” Nami said while starring at you with a grin.

“Yeah. I slept late.”

“Hmhm.” she hummed. She was acting weirder than usual and still staring at you maliciously. “You know something weird happened last night.” 

You picked up your ears, trying to pay attention, but your mind was still wandering.

“So, I was going back home from the boys’ and I decided to take a detour. You know my love for the mansion, right?”

You froze at the mention of the mansion and stuttered a simple “yeah”. 

“Well, I was admiring the building, daydreaming about the day where I would be able to walk through those beautiful glass doors, that’s when I saw someone leaving the building. I didn’t pay much attention at first because it was a girl so definitely not a plausible target. But then, I noticed the person behind her. Mr. Trafalgar Law. Our teacher. Can you imagine how shock I was? So I hid behind a car to have a better look at the girl. And surprise!” She made a dramatic pause and stared at you. “It turns out to be my best friend!” She was telling the story so nonchalantly, but you could feel your ear burning with embarrassment. 

“I can explain...” You started to say, but she cut you off by putting her hand over your mouth.

“So, ____, how was it?!” She asked, excitedly. 

“Well, he invited me to play with a banana and then I stayed to watch Netflix and then...” You babbled on, but once again she cut you off.

“Wohoho. Ok, first of all, I was wondering about the inside of the mansion. Second of all, what the fuck did you do with his banana?”

It was the moment you had chosen to drink some water to cool down, you almost choked at the mention of her last sentence. On the other hand, Nami was having a blast. You explained everything that had happened since you left Ace’s apartment. How you spent most of your free time with Law, to your own surprise, and how much fun you had with him. You also spent a good twenty minutes describing the inside of the mansion. 

“And I thought you were not hanging out with us because of Ace.” She exclaimed. You clenched your jaw at the mention of your best friend.

“I want to... but he said he needed time... I don’t want to make things more difficult.” You sighed, she gently rubbed your back.

“I think you should talk again soon. The longer you let it drag, the harder it’s going to be.” She tried to encourage you, you answered with a weak smile.

You continued to chitchat until your friends finally decided to join you. Ace sat across from you, you did not look away from him, and when his eyes finally met yours you gave him a subtle smile. He smiled back. He turned his attention to Sabo, and you grinned. Maybe Nami was right, you should talk soon.

When you were done eating, you held back and waited for Ace. When he passed in front of you, you gently tugged on his shirt. He seemed surprised.

“Can we talk now?” You asked, not meeting his eyes.

He stayed silent for what felt like an eternity. You heard him rubbed the back of his neck and he sighed.

“Yeah. We can go to the usual coffee shop after class.” He finally answered. You nodded and silently followed him to class.

You were sitting near the window of the coffee shop. You watched the students went about their lives. You were more nervous than what you had expected. You had already said everything you needed to say. The only one who needed to make a decision was Ace, and since he was willing to talk to you, it could only mean that he had reached one. The sound of a chair being dragged pulled you out of your daydream. Ace put a mug in front of you, you noticed that it was your favorite beverage and it warmed your heart. You thanked him and took a sip. Once again he stayed silent. It was killing you.

“I am sorry.” He murmured. Your heart skipped a beat as you waited for him to go on. “I realized that I’ve been really selfish... I tried to force my feeling on you and made you feel guilty for something that was not your fault. I’ve been a dick.” He confessed.

“I was at fault too, I should ha-“ He raised his hand in front of you to stop you.

“Really, I am the only one to blame. I acted as a child and I didn’t explain myself properly.” He took a deep breath and looked at you straight in the eyes. “I have been in love with you for a long time, ____. I had hoped that maybe you could reciprocate the feeling, but now I know that’s not possible. But I don’t want to lose you over something like that, because you’re, above anything else, my best friend. And I have faith that our friendship is strong enough to move on and forget that stupid kiss.”

You felt all tension leave your body, finally relaxing. You wanted to smile, but your lower lip was trembling and a tear tickled your cheek. Despite that, you nodded furiously.

“I am glad you feel that way.” You managed to say.

You spent the next couple hours comforting each other, under the curious look of the other customers. You also talk about everything that had happened since the party. You hesitated to talk about Law, but you thought it would be worse if he heard it from someone else. He admitted that he still had concerns about Law, but trusted you.

You almost skipped all your way back home, a smile plastered on your face. You throw yourself on your bed and took out your phone, looking for Law.

_**“I have good news! Do you still want to meet up tomorrow?”** _

You pressed sent and received an almost immediate reply. “Sure.” You grinned, even his text messages were short and to the point. You giggled and put your phone away. That’s when it hit you. Everything cleared up in your mind. You were undoubtedly falling for him.


	12. Coffee break

You knew the way to his place by heart, but this time everything felt different. You were nervous, too nervous. Your heart was beating as if you had just run a marathon and the butterflies in your stomach intensified at each of your steps. You nodded at the guardian when you entered the building and made your way to the lift. You watched the numbers go up as you tried to steady your heartbeat. The ding of the elevator startled you, and you took a deep breath and stepped out, walking determinedly to his door while doing a small pep-talk in your head. Repeating " _It's only Law_ " over and over again. You knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, you heard the keys jiggle and the twist of the lock as Law appeared leaning on the door frame, his usual sarcastic smile plastered on his face. At that moment, you thought that a code blue would have been called if you had been in a hospital. Has he always looked so dazzling? It took all of your willpower to greet him back and step out of your stupor. He moved out of the door frame and gestured you to follow him inside.

“So what’s the great news? Did you finally realize that you should give up on being a surgeon?” He teased.

“Why are you so eager for me to quit? Are you afraid that I would be a threat?” You mused.

He rolled his eyes and snorted, muttering an “as if” as he sat down on the couch, crossing his leg. Of crouse he would not be threatened, he was a genius after all. He looked at you expectantly.

“I talked to Ace,” you started. If you had been looking at him, you would have noticed that his body slightly tensed up at the name, “I think everything is good again!” You happily confessed. Law stayed silent, which made you feel awkward.

“Are you ok with him still being in love with you?” He finally asked, more dryly than he intended.

“I mean...I can force him to suddenly stop? That’s not how feelings work,” you said confused," as long as we are both ok with how things are, I think it’s fine."

Again he stayed silent, pensive. He suddenly got up and gently ruffled your hair, which sent shivers all over your body, and walked toward the entrance.

“Let’s take Bepo for a walk,” he said, taking his sweatshirt and a leash. He did not add anything. He called Bepo and walked out the door.

You followed him outside, feeling even more nervous than on your way to his place. Nami had caught you but she was your best friend so she was bounded to know about your time with Law. But what if another student were to see you outside with him? You put your hood on and tried to make yourself as little as possible.

“What are you doing ____-ya?”

“Do you know how many rumors are circulating about us already?” You hissed, looking around nervously.

“Oh... Really? What kind of rumors?”

“You know that we are dating... or having an affair...,” you anxiously answered, playing with the sleeves of your sweatshirt, the answer flustered you more than you had expected. You glanced at his face, he was smirking, a playful glint in his eyes. You punched his arm. “You knew! Why are you making me say it!”

“Your reactions are always funny, ____-ya,” he said, then lower his head to be at your level. “Plus, I don’t mind what they say. Let’s go get some coffee,” he added before walking away. 

You felt a pang in your heart at the realization that you were probably the only one with a silly crush. The words “I don’t mind what they say” playing on repeat in your head.

You arrived in front of a cute café, almost hidden between giant buildings. Law attached Bepo near the place as you followed him inside. Only a few people were queuing, so you had time to look at the menu.

“What do you want?” Law’s voice got you out of your reading, and it startled you. You blurted out the first thing that came to your mind, as he repeated it to the barista. You cursed, hoping that your random choice would be a good pick.

"That will be $3.98" 

You took out your wallet to pay, but Law stopped you.

“My treat,” he only muttered before giving his card to the cashier.

“It gives me goosebumps when you’re suddenly too nice,” you said, rubbing your arms humorously, “thank you,” you added shyly. 

This time he intimated you, “it gives me goosebumps when you’re being too sweet.” Smirking, as usual.

You rolled your eyes and waited for your order on the side with him, chitchatting about random things. You noted that you did not have any awkward pauses. Speaking with him had become as natural as talking with your friends, and it made you happy.

After the cashier called out your names, you walked out of the café, holding the drinks while Law was taking care of Bepo. Suddenly, you heard a loud thud behind you. 

“Mommy? Mom?! MOMMY!” You turned around and dropped the cups on the floor. The woman who was before you in line at the café was on the floor in the middle of the sidewalk, her eight-year-old kneeling by her side shaking her unresponsive body. Before you had time to react, Law ran past you and was already kneeling by the victim.

“Call the Emergency Services,” he shouted while his hands were working skillfully on the victim. He checked her pulse on her neck and grimaced. He removed the clothes in the way and tilted her head back. He put his hands over her chest and he. froze. The kid was crying next to him, still holding his mother. You could see sweat pearling on Law’s forehead. His hands were slightly shaking, a shadow cast over his eyes. He had stopped.

“Law, you have to do something! She’s going to die!” You yelled, almost crying.

He glanced at you, and his expression made you shiver. You could not decipher it, but you knew that it would haunt you forever. It was a mixture of sadness, fear, and something darker, too dark for you to comprehend.

Everything after that passed in the blink of an eye. Law did CPR on the woman. You took the crying child away, trying to hide what was happening to his mother. making small talk, trying to distract him as much as could. Hugging and comforting him. It took everything in you to keep a smile on your lips, hoping that it would lessen his worries. You heard the sirens and people shouting orders. You remembered the desperate look Law gave you as he stayed on the ground as the woman’s body was taken away in the ambulance. One of the emergency doctors gently took the crying child away from you, and you rushed to Law's side and hugged his shaking form. He did not hug you back. Looking at his hands dropped on his knees. Powerless.

Like a robot, he suddenly stood up, brushing you away. He took Bepo and slowly made his way back home. You followed quietly behind him, still trying to process what just happened. As you arrived in front of his door, he stopped.

“Go home,” his voice was hoarse and ordering, leaving no option to refuse.

“But-”, he glared at you before you had time to continue your sentence. He looked miserable and angry. He did not let you finish and slammed the door on your face.

You stayed dumbfounded, your feet refusing to move. You did not understand what was happening, why he was reacting this way. You were shaken, but you had never assisted to something like that. He should be used to this as a surgeon, or know how to deal with it. And yet something was off. Just as you were about to leave, you heard crashing sounds coming from his apartment. Tears welled up in your eyes as you knew that he was taking his anger out on every piece of furniture that he could find. Your hand ghosted over the door, debating on if you should leave him alone or not. You decided on the former and reluctantly left his place. 

He never replied to your texts after that. A week passed before you saw him again, and if you had known what was going to happen, you would have never come to his class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello ~ 
> 
> The next chapter is going to be a bit angtsy and probably a bit childish-ish? It was the scene I had in mind when I started writing this story but it was almost 3 years ago and I don't know how to write the story without including this scene. It's just a bit a warning, I hope you still enjoy it though! :)


	13. Games are over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry about the delay. I thought I could have it done before Christmas but it turned out that I didn't have any free time at all - and it had been the case since November. The next chapter will probably be really late too since I am drowning under my assignments and everything. I hope you are all alright, and don't read this chapter if you're looking for comforting flirt! 
> 
> Enjoy! :)

You decided to arrive early to your class, hoping to see Law before it started and talk to him. To your disappointment, the only person already present was Ace. He had his back leaned against the wall, checking his phone with a tired face. As you stepped closer to him, he raised his head and greeted you with a big smile. You smiled back, not as enthusiastic. You saw the frown appear on his face, but he did not say anything. You leaned beside him on the wall. 

“Usually, we are the ones running in the hallway to make it to class. What is happening?” You joked. He laughed and agreed with you. “I know, to be honest, I thought it was 9 a.m, turns out it’s only 7.30. I could have slept more.” He said dejectedly. “What is your excuse?”

You stayed silent; you did not know what to respond to him. Your friendship was slowly recovering, and you did not want to mention that you wanted to talk to your crush before your class. Upsetting or making him sad was the last thing you wanted to do first thing in the morning. The silence grew awkward, as you were pondering what to say.

“Were you hoping to find Law?” He carefully asked. You looked at him nervously, still not knowing how you should respond. “I told you, I want to be your friend ____. And I can see you’re upset, please.” He pleaded. You sighed, not in annoyance, it was almost out of relief. “If you are really ok with it…I don’t want to see you upset either.” You glanced at him, and he nodded, elbowing you gently to encourage you to continue. You explained to him everything that had happened last week and especially how it had ended and the lack of response from Law. The more you talked about the more irritated you felt, you were tearing up out of frustration. Ace noticed and hugged you, murmuring comforting words. You were not shocked when he started to try to find some sort of explanation for Law’s behavior instead of insulting him. After all, he had always been nice. “Well, it’s his loss. I am still available by the way,” he laughed soon joined by you. You were happy that your relationship was still the same. You hoped that having him joking about his crush was a sign that he was starting to move on. It felt good to find your way back to your best friend when you needed it. You were still embracing each other when you heard someone clear their throat behind you. You glanced back and noticed Law standing behind you. 

Even though it lasted only a fraction of a second, you noticed that he was glaring at Ace before turning back to his usual laid-back demeanor. You noted that his dark circles were even more showing than usual as if he had not slept all week. 

“I’d like to access my classroom if you don’t mind Ace-ya” He said curtly, avoiding eye contact with you and only holding Ace’s stare. You untangled yourself from Ace as you both stepped aside. Now, that he was in front of you, you were totally helpless. All the speeches you had prepared in your mind had disappeared. You just stood there, watching him unlocking the classroom. Ace gave you a small push and you followed behind Law in the room as your friend waited outside. 

Each step toward him became heavier than the last as if you were walking in the mud. He was not saying anything, but you could sense that he was not in the mood for a chat. You stopped when you reached his desk and took a deep breath. “Can we talk?” You finally asked. He did not look at you, he was scribbling something in his notebook. He sighed. Your heart dropped. “I have nothing to say. The class is about to start, you should go find your seat.” Now, you were feeling extremely angry and embarrassed. You were about to say something when you heard people chit chatting and entering the classroom. You murmured an “Ok.” and dragged your feet to your seat, next to Ace. Already planning to ambush in at the end of the class. You plopped down on your seat, and Ace immediately put his arm around your shoulder, bringing you closer for comfort. You could feel Law’s stare, which made you even more upset as he had refused to meet your eyes but would still look your way when you were not looking. 

The class started as soon as the last person sat down. Everyone was quieter than usual, pressured by the intimidating aura that Law was emitting. “Today is going to be a special class.” You raised an eyebrow; he had not said anything about a special class. “As future surgeons, you ought to be prepared in case of an emergency, like a heart attack for example. It can happen suddenly, when you least expect it. When you’re going out for coffee for example.” Your heartbeat quickened at his words. “Who among you knows how to practice a cardiopulmonary resuscitation?” No one raised their hands, they all looked down at their notebook. “I see. What a shame.” He added, falsely disappointed. “Today, I am going to teach the steps for a cardiopulmonary resuscitation, I will need two volunteers…” he trailed off, but his eyes immediately fell on you. You frowned. “____-ya. Do you mind?”

“Of course I mind you fucking asshole.” Was your first thought, but you kept it to yourself and smiled coldly at him. You stood up and joined him at his desk, which was now empty. “Ace-ya, you will be the second one.” If a look could kill, Ace would have killed Law in a matter of seconds. “I’d rather stay and watch,” he answered coolly. “It was not a question. Go lay down on the desk,” Law simply answered. They were glaring at each other, you could cut the tension in the air with a knife. Ace got up and calmly walked up to you, he gave you an unreadable look and laid down on the desk. It was your turn to glare at Law. After everything you had told him about you and Ace, how could he do that to you? 

“I am going to explain the steps and you’re going to perform them. For the others, please take some notes. First, you have to make sure the patient is laying on his back on a firm surface. Then, kneel beside him, or in your case ____-ya, step closer, and place the heel of your hand on the center of his chest.” He explained. You reluctantly obeyed and put your hands on his chest. “Not, there,” Law took your hand in his and moved it to the right place, “it should be on the breastbone, where the ribs come together. Perfect,” he added as he let go of your hand. You cursed internally at the way your heartbeat had quickened when he touched you. “Now, keep your arms straight, cover the first hand with the heel of your other hand and interlock the fingers of both hands together. Keep your fingers raised so they do not touch his chest or rib cage. Then, lean forward so that your shoulders are directly over the patient’s chest and press down on the chest about two inches. Release the pressure, but not your hands, and let the chest come back up. Repeat to give 30 compressions at a rate of 100 compressions per minute. Basically, do it on the rhythm of “Stayin Alive” by the Bee Gees. And of course, for safety reasons, ____-ya won’t be doing this part unless she wants to kill Ace,” he joked.

“He’s not the one I’d like to kill,” you breathed between your teeth, loud enough for him to hear. You felt Ace’s chest rumble as he laughed quietly. 

Law smirked. “Now, tilt his head and lift his chin to open the airway. Let his mouth fall open slightly.” You froze, your hands still on his chest. “Come on, ____-ya, everyone is waiting.” You glanced at Ace, you were panicking, and he was frowning, but smiled sightly to encourage you. You did as he said. “Good, now pinch the nostrils closed with the hand that was on the forehead and support his chin with your other hand. Take a normal breath, put your mouth over his, and blow until you can see the chest rise.” You positioned your hands as he ordered but did not bring your mouth closer. You took a deep breath, looked at Ace to see if he was good too and you slowly brought your mouth to his, everything was happening in slow motion. As you were only inches away from his mouth, Law spoke up. “Ok, you can stop. I’ll take Ace-ya’s place now, there are some things a bit off in your gesture. It will be easier to correct you.” Ace sat up, you were both glaring angrily at Law, who was acting as if nothing was wrong. 

They exchanged places; Law laid down on the desk. “You don’t have to go back to your seat Ace-ya, you can stay and watch  _ closely _ .” He said the latter while looking directly at Ace. Your blood boiled. Flashbacks from your first class with him came back to you. Just as he did with Ace before, he explained the steps again and guided your hands the right way. “….and blow until you can see the chest rise.”, he finished. You gritted your teeth, and you could feel your cheeks burning with embarrassment. 

You were panicking again, but not the same way as before. Yes, you had wanted to feel his lips on yours for a long time, but certainly not this way. While feeling angry, distressed, and in front of everyone and having him smirking like an idiot at your reactions. Once again, you slowly brought your mouth closer to his, hoping that we would stop you just like he did with Ace. But he did not. Your mouth met his, and you started blowing gently, before parting away. Your heart was beating so loudly that you were afraid of needing real CPR next. 

“Perfect,” he said. “I hope you could take some notes Ace-ya,” he added. Ace looked away and walked back to his place, you followed him. He did not look at you and you both did not speak again to each other during the lesson. As soon as the class was over, he took his bag, briefly told you goodbye, and left. You stayed in your seat; you had spent the rest of the class racking your brain to understand why Law was acting that way. 

“The class is over, everyone left already.” You took one look at him and stood up, blocking the way out with your body, preventing him to leave the classroom. 

“Did I do something wrong?” You asked. You wanted your voice to sound determined and angry, but it sounded pathetic and low. His eyes softened for a second and a flash of guilt crossed it, but it did not last. “No, why are you asking?” 

“Why am I asking?” Now, you were really angry, “I don’t know, maybe because you refuse to talk to me since the last time I saw you or maybe because of the stunt you just pulled, after everything I told you?!” You raised your voice. He sighed and massaged his temple. 

“By the way you were all over each other this morning, I just assumed you had changed your mind about him, and I just thought I would tease you a bit. My bad, I hope your boyfriend isn’t too mad at me.”

You could not believe what he was saying. “He’s not my boyfriend and you know that damn well,” you said irritated, “what you just did was just mean! You knew he had feelings for me, and you know that I have feelings for…” You lowered your voice, “…you”. You glanced timidly at him, you had not planned on confessing that way. You were shocked to notice the surprise on his face, even though you thought you were quite obvious, he clearly did not notice. You looked down and he started laughing.

“I am sorry if I led you on ____-ya. I thought we were both on the same page and that it was some baseless flirting. I am sorry but I am not interested in a kid.” He dryly said, avoiding your eyes. “Anyway, I’ll stop now that it has become bothersome. You should go back to guys your age.” 

Your ears were ringing, you could barely register what he was saying. The rage took over you. “Wow. I didn’t know you were such an asshole. Your parents must be happy to not be able to witness that their son turned out this way. They're lucky.” You gasped as soon as you finished your sentence. You just had remembered the conversation you had overheard in the cafeteria, about him being an orphan and somehow it was the first thing that came to your mind. You were hurt and wanted to hurt him back. However, you knew that you had overstepped the moment it left your mouth, and you were already regretting it. 

“I am sorry, I didn’t mean-”, you looked back at him. He was silent, a shadow cast over his eyes. “Get out,” he did not raise his voice, he was eerily calm, which made it worse. 

“Law, I am really sorry, I-”

He did not have to say another word, his eyes said it all. He was looking at you with rage and a hint of sadness. You lowered your gaze, unable to maintain eye contact and shamefully walked out of the classroom. The guilt was overwhelming. You had said the most hurtful thing while angry and immediately regretted it.


End file.
